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Despite the end of the Cold War, major conflicts have broken out in many parts of the world, including the unexpected arrival of terrorism on an international scale. Wars in Afghanistan, and especially Iraq, have sparked vehement debate about the moral issues involved, often in terms of the just war tradition. pope John Paul II and Catholic bishops' conferences worldwide strongly opposed the US invasion of Iraq on the grounds that it did not meet the moral criteria allowing war. For the first time in their history, our western democracies embarked on war against the strong and widespread opposition of the churches.
Christians urgently need to develop their thinking to address the new questions about:
- a supposed right of preemptive strike against possible opponents
- terrorism and weapons of mass destruction
- new weapons systems, including missile defence
- the catastrophic increase in arms spending
- the new US ideology of 'imperial' hegemony displacing a multinational system based on universal moral principles
- the consequnt impoverishment of poorer countries while resources are poured into arms spending.
| Date |
Wednesday 5 May
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| Time |
7.30 - 9.30 pm
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| Venue |
St Peter's Church, Eastern Hill
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| Cost |
$15 (concession: $12)
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| Conductor |
Fr Bruce Duncan
Redemptorist priest, lecturer in History and Social Ethics
at Yarra Theological Union, Box Hill, part-time worker at Catholic Social Services.
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Authorized by the Vicar
(vicar@stpeters.org.au)
and the Institute for Spiritual Studies
(iss@stpeters.org.au)
Maintained by the Editor
(editor@stpeters.org.au)
© 2003 The Institute for Spiritual Studies
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